Odd Man Out
by DR Fronkensteen
Summary: Now that he has escaped the doomed Cerberus colony, Nick has to ride home on a turian military ship. Will he make more friends, or more enemies? Oneshot followup to my "Just a Simple Job" Series. M for language and some mild violence. OCs only here.


_Please comment/review! Comments give me inspiration to write more! Thanks! _

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Nick could feel the slight acceleration of the ship pulling out of orbit. It quickly subsided as the inertial dampening systems kicked in. He sighed, and swung his legs up onto his cot. Turian brigs weren't the worst he had seen; there was plenty of water and food, the guards were strict but not abusive, and the cell wasn't too small. But that didn't change the fact that he was locked in jail, even after risking his life to save one of them.

_Should have never stuck my neck out for a turian... Still landed me in a damned cage..._

He looked up when he heard the door to his cell slide open. A turian military officer stepped in, accompanied by an armed guard. The turian set a chair down in the center of the cell and sat in it.

"Back to try again, are we?" Nick stayed staring at the wall near the end of his cot, not making eye contact.

"Yes." The turian answered simply, typing on a data pad.

"Well..." Nick swung his legs off of the cot, and faced his interrogator. "I can't stop you from trying. At least, I like you better than that other fellow...the security chief... He's a real asshole. You guys really have the 'good cop bad cop' thing down to a science."

"Listen, Mr. O'Neil..."

"Oh please, call me Nick."

"...You know we can't let you out of here until we have proof that your story is true. Right now, shipman Castus is still unconscious. We have no reason to believe your testimony until we have facts to support your case. And the fact that we have evidence that your human partner murdered turian soldiers isn't helping you, either."

"Tell that guy he can relax, jeez..." Nick nodded to the guard that stood off to the side of the officer. "Looks like he has a stick shoved further up his ass than you do-"

"O'Neil!" The officer raised his voice slightly. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"Alright... What was your name again?" Nick furrowed his brow.

"Commander Qu'an Aelius.

"Alright, Qwon..." Nick started, obnoxiously mispronouncing the turian's first name. "I already told you I'm not going to give away details of my past. You'll have to wait until we're at the Citadel... And I have a lawyer."

"Well... This _is_ what I came to talk to you about." Qu'an looked down at his data pad again. "We were able to find your discharge records from the Alliance in the database."

"So why the hell did you guys spend three hours trying to pry it out of me?"

"We didn't have access to them at that time. I don't think I need to go into details with you—you were there after all—but I think your track record with the Hierarchy isn't going to fare too well for your case."

"I suppose not."

"What we are really looking for is your cooperation. Please, tell us what really happened down at the Cerberus colony. The truth will only work in your favor."

Nick stared at the turian officer for a moment, trying to see through the alien's poker face. "You smell that?"

"Smell what?" Qu'an was obviously taken aback by the human's question.

"Smells like... Bullshit."

"The security chief will be in again in a few minutes." Qu'an said, standing abruptly. "We gave you the chance to do this easily and you refused to take it." He picked up his chair, and nodded to the guard. The door slid open. There was another officer standing in the doorway, obviously surprising the other two turians. They exchanged some hushed words, and the first two stepped out of the room. The third, obviously a higher rank than even commander Qu'an, stepped in, and let the door slide closed behind him. The new turian stood formally with his hands folded behind his back, studying Nick.

"You're not the security chief." Nick blurted out.

"You're right." The turian spoke slowly and concisely. "I am Captain Lennox, commanding officer of this ship."

"Okay... And what do you want from me?" Nick asked, warily eyeing him.

"Shipman Castus has regained consciousness long enough to confirm your story." Lennox replied.

Nick sat back. "Great. Now what?"

"I will be releasing you from the brig. I have given you quarters with crew members that have spent time working with humans."

"I'd almost rather stay in here.." Nick mumbled to himself. He truly wasn't sure which would be worse: Being locked up for two weeks, or having to spend two weeks with a crowd of turians.

"I wouldn't normally do this, Mr. O'Neil, considering your record. But you did save a very valued member of the Hierarchy. And the Council has urged us to be more... lenient. To improve relations with the humans, should they join the Council."

Nick stood, straightening out his jacket. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm kind of an outcast even among my own race. I appreciate the thought, though."

"I will show you to your new quarters." With that, Lennox turned and opened the door. He stepped out, without even checking to make sure Nick was behind him. Nick reluctantly followed, catching up to the officer. Nick was amazed at how sleek and clean the interior of the ship was. A stark contrast from the dingy smuggling ships he had become familiar with. Hell, it even put most Alliance ships to shame.

"Hi... How ya doin'? 'Evening..." Nick greeted the turian crew members as they snapped to attention and stepped out of their captain's way. Even though their heads were locked forward, he could feel multiple pairs of alien eyes follow him down the corridor.

"This is a medium sized frigate ship... Used for deep space patrol." Lennox began explaining as he walked, mostly in an effort to get Nick's attention away from the other crew members. "Slightly bigger than the ship that was destroyed down at the colony. We have a crew of two hundred and forty three..."

Lennox stopped by another door, and waited for it to slide open. He stepped inside the crew quarters area. The room was fairly small, considering most of the space had been taken up by bunk beds. There were two beds end to end on each side, as well as a small table placed in the center. A tiny viewport gave a view of the stars at the end of the room.

"The crew is usually housed by individual squads. You will be staying with this squad. Aula!" Lennox shouted, startling Nick. A turian hopped down from one of the bunks. The alien soldier seemed a bit different than the others; their frame was a bit more slender. Their height was slightly shorter than the average turian, but still stood a few centimeters above Nick.

"Yes, sir!" The turian yelled, coming to attention in front of Lennox.

"This is Mr. O'Neil. He saved shipman Castus down on the surface. You are to make sure he integrates with the crew... And keep him out of trouble... O'Neil," The captain turned. "You are to stay with Aula. She has worked with the Alliance before, and has served with shipman Castus in the past. If either of you need anything, you are to report directly to me." Lennox left abruptly, obviously uncomfortable with having a human in his crew.

"What was your name again?" Nick was distant, distracted by his new surroundings.

"Aula. And yes, I am female." She out stretched her three fingered hand, and gave a slight smile.

"Huh... I've never seen many female turians before. I don't think I've _ever_ seen one actually." Nick chuckled nervously and accepted the handshake. It was clear she had been around humans before, having known the correct customary introduction.

"There aren't many stationed out past turian space." She quickly explained. "Your bunk is down at the end. Some of your affects should be there as well."

Nick nodded in response, slowly making his way down to the last bunk. His medical kit was sitting at top of the bed. He sat down next to it and popped it open, making sure everything was there.

"Did you serve in the military?" Aula asked, trying to start conversation. She sat on the bunk opposite Nick, watching him inspect his gear.

"Yes. I was in the Alliance for a couple of years. Combat medic." Nick looked up, briefly making eye contact before looking back down. "I was dishonorably discharged. And, to be frank, I don't have a very good history of getting along with turians." He spoke quickly and quietly, not knowing how it would go over.

"Is it true that you saved Vox?"

"Yes." Nick began to repack his medical supplies.

"Thank you." Aula responded, almost with a whisper. Nick paused, slowly looking back up. He had never head gratitude expressed from a turian, at least not in this emotional kind of way.

"How come my military record doesn't seem to bother you? It seems to be putting everyone else on edge," Nick said, genuinely curious.

"I have my orders to help you integrate. I can't do that if I... Alienate you." She recognized the irony in her response with a smile.

Nick let out a hollow chuckle. "Always about orders you guys, isn't it?" Nick hastily packed the rest of his supplies away and snapped the kit closed.

"Also..." She started, but quickly trailed off.

"What?" Aula didn't get a chance to finish, as the door to the bunk room opened. A male turian took a few steps in.

"Aula... Human." He nodded to each of them, a hint of disgust placed on the last word. "Vox is awake and stable. He wants to see you... And the human."

Aula stood, and motioned for Nick to follow. She led Nick down the corridor to an elevator. He still got awkward stares and double takes from the other crew members. Aula pressed a few keys inside of the elevator. There was an awkward moment of silence as the doors slid shut. Nick noticed that the facial tattoos on the female turian looked oddly familiar. He was about to mention something, but the doors opened and Aula took off down the hallway. She walked fast, almost seemed anxious. Nick followed her through another open doorway. He was so distracted by all of the state of the art medical equipment that he didn't realize that they had arrived at Vox's bed.

"Human... Nick." Vox spoke slowly, his voice weak. He lifted up a hand, offering Nick the handshake that had been ignored down on the colony. Nick accepted the offer, surprised at the strength of the injured turian's grip. "I didn't expect you to..." He struggled to find words. "Thank you." He stated simply, finally breaking the handshake.

"You saved my ass first. We're even. Say... Back down on the surface, after I shot at you, how come you didn't shoot back?" Nick tried to manage a smile, but failed. It was a weird feeling, and Nick found it extremely unsettling. He wanted to stay upset at the turians but was finding that increasingly difficult.

"I was out of thermal clips."

"You were bluffing?" Vox nodded. "And I thought you were being merciful..."

"Aula!" Vox croaked, not responding to Nick's comment. He had heard it, but was instantly distracted at the sight of the female turian. She hurried to the bed, almost pushing Nick out of the way. She leaned over to embrace Vox. Nick took a couple of steps back. He took in a deep breath, and let it out.

"Were you the one who treated Castus? Down on the surface?" A voice chimed in, pulling him away from deep thought. A turian medic stood nearby, his arms full of supplies.

"Uh, yeah. That was me." Nick answered, nodding.

"And you were alone?" the turian asked.

"Yeah." Nick nodded.

"I'm impressed. He was right on the edge when he got here. I doubt if even I would have been able to keep him alive that long in the field... Alone on top of that. Damn good work. I'll have to look at how the Alliance teaches their medics." The turian medic disappeared back into the hustle of the medical bay. Aula tapped Nick on the shoulder, again motioning for him to follow. The two made their way back to their quarters.

"Stop for a second..." She grabbed Nick's shoulder, halting him just as the door slid shut behind them. "I should have told you this earlier." He didn't know what to say, so he remained silent. "Vox is more than a colleague... He and I are mates."

"That explains it." Nick feigned a smile. The situation was too awkward to warrant a genuine one. Nick did think that Vox and Aula had seemed a little too excited to see each other. "I may be young, but I'm sure as hell not naïve."

"Well, we haven't announced anything. Sure, a few know. But nothing is official yet."

"What? He's not asking me to be Best Man, is he? I hardly even know him..." Nick was joking, but there was a hint of real worry in his voice. And he had absolutely no knowledge of turian mating rituals and traditions.

"Best what?" Aula asked, not understanding the humor in Nick's statement.

"Oh... Um, Human joke. You wouldn't get it." Nick waved a hand slightly dismissively.

"I just wanted you to know..." Aula changed the subject back to the reason she had even stopped to talk. "..I just wanted you to truly understand how thankful I am." She abruptly wrapped him in a tight hug, pinning his arms against his sides. Nick was taken off guard, not even getting a chance to return the embrace. It seemed like forever before the door popped open, and a turian soldier stepped in.

"Um... Aula?" Nick cleared his throat, nudging her with one of his arms. She quickly noticed the extra presence in the room, breaking off the embrace and turning around.

"Yes, Vibian?" She tried to defuse the uncomfortable moment, but failed miserably.

"Platoon meal is happening soon. If you want to bring your... Guest along..." the turian said, glancing between them.

"We were just planning on going there. If you would like to come along?" Aula turned to Nick.

"Oh, sure." Nick said, realizing the question was directed at him. He was actually hungry. The last time he ate was the afternoon prior, before his cargo ship was brought down. Or sometime around then, the past couple of days were blurring together.

"There will be a lot of people in here who will want to meet you." Aula commented, just as they were nearing the mess deck.

"Great..." Nick sighed nervously. He was hungry, but not sure he'd be able to eat in a room full of turians staring him down. A large door in front of them opened as they approached it. There were rows of turians standing at attention in front of their respective spots at each table. Aula marched stiffly to an open spot at a table, and stood still like the rest of her crew. Nick slowly followed, maintaining his casual stance. He felt every alien eye on him and resisted the urge to shuffle his feet nervously.

"LISTEN UP!" A sharp voice called out. A turian soldier marched methodically down the rows. "As many of you have noticed, we have a guest with us. He saved one of your fellow soldiers, so I expect all of you to treat him with respect. You may be seated." The whole room belted out some kind of chant that shook the walls. Then there was the sound of chairs scraping on the metal deck, and everyone started to sit down.

"Have a seat." Aula urged, motioning to the empty chair next to her own. Nick sat down, studying the aliens sitting around the table. "Everyone, this is Nick."

"Hi" He mumbled, exchanging friendly nods with the others across the table.

"He saved Vox down on the colony." She continued, then looked at Nick. "Most of the members of this squad have done joint training with the Alliance, so they are comfortable around humans."

"Except for Manius over here." Vibian chimed in. He gave a friendly nudge to a younger looking turian. "He's just graduated basic training."

"So I'm the first human you've met?" Nick grinned, starting to relax slightly. Manius returned a nervous nod. "Well, it's a shame I'm not one of the most friendly humans around." Nick joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Come on." Aula interrupted. "I'll show you where to get food."

Nick was rather surprised at how the rest of the meal was going. The food was some type of weird meat he had never had before, but he was hungry enough for almost anything. The meal and coinciding banter almost reminded him of his early days in the Alliance. Before things turned...for the worse, to put it simply. He even received a few friendly slaps on the back, and thanks for helping Vox. If only they had known how the events truly played out down on the colony. How close he came to killing Vox, instead of saving him. Needless to say, the atmosphere was welcoming. At least for a while.

"Look at that human... Thinks he's one of us." Nick could hear a turian soldier speaking rather loudly at the other end of the table. He looked up briefly, before ignoring whoever had made the comments and returning to his own conversation.

"He's not the hero everyone thinks he is; just take a look at his records. You can find them in the ship's computer. He's allowed more turians to die than he's saved." The turian solder continued. There was some grumbling of agreement from the far end of the table.

Nick could feel his feelings of resentment returning. It was amazing how just a couple of smart comments could ruin a mood.

"If it had been up to me, I'd have let him rot along with the ruins of that Cerberus colony."

"Hey, if you've got shit to say, say it to my face!" Nick stood, knocking his chair over. The whole room went silent. The turian that was the source of the comments stood slowly from his chair.

"If it had been up to me, I'd have let you rot with the ruins of that Cerberus colony." The turian shot back, looking Nick directly in the eye as he repeated his previous statement. The two walked up to each other, stopping when they were only inches from each other. There was a tense moment where each party stared the other down.

"You're not worth it." Nick muttered under his breath, turning to pick up his chair. As he bent over, a firm hand grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling him back up.

"It's not a good idea to turn your back on a Hierarchy soldier once you've challenged him." The turian growled. Nick responded with a hard fight cross, striking his target in the side of the face. Before he even got a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of his blow, the turian responded with a powerful strike of his own. Nick felt the bone in his nose pop and he saw stars. He leaned forward, overcome with dizziness. The turian grabbed his jacket again, pulling him closer. Nick used the opportunity to land a blow in the alien's gut. There was a benefit to being familiar with anatomy, and that was knowing the soft spots. He grabbed the turian's clothing, pulling the alien down and landing a powerful knee strike on his opponent's face.

"ENOUGH!" He heard Aula scream from behind. She grabbed the back of Nick's jacket, pulling him into a powerful headlock. She forcefully led him out of the mess deck, Vibian following closely. She released the headlock in the passageway, but kept a firm grip on Nick's arm.

"Sorry about that..." He mumbled, blood streaming freely down his face. He clamped a hand down on his nose, stemming the flow.

"No, I'm sorry..." She sighed, still hurriedly leading him down the corridor. "Usually, we let disputes settle themselves out. As long as no one get too seriously injured. I forgot that you're... Not one of us."

"I thought you were doing pretty well." Vibian added, sounding impressed.

"You're not helping." Aula snapped.

"Wait, you forgot I wasn't one of you?" Nick was laughing, his voice muffled behind his hand. Aula led him to his bunk once they had reached their quarters. As he sat down, the pain hit him. He felt dizzy and sick to his stomach.

"You need to go see the doc?" She asked in a scolding tone of voice.

"Nah... I got this." Nick fumbled with his medkit. He opened it, rummaging for a few select items. He loaded an auto injector with some painkillers and anti-nausea medication. He pushed the device into the crook of his elbow, cringing when the large needle entered his skin. He tossed the device aside once the dose had been administered, and waited for the narcotics to take their effect.

"This isn't the first time my nose has been broken. Believe it or not." He closed his eyes for a moment. Once he felt the effects of the painkillers, he inspected his face with his fingers. He placed a knuckle on either side of his nose, and pulled hard. There was an audible crack as the bone was put back in its correct position. He fell back, swinging his legs up onto the bed. The whole room felt like it was spinning out of control, due to the combination of a concussion and a large dose of painkillers.

"G'night..." he mumbled, just before passing out.

Breakfast the next morning was much quieter than dinner had been the night before. Nick sat at a table, head in hands. He had a pounding headache and still felt sick.

"Here," Aula placed a plate of something down in front of him. The smell made him heave, but nothing came up.

"I feel hung over..." He grumbled, pushing the plate away.

"You need to eat, going to be a busy day today. The captain has given you some work in the medical bay. To keep you out of trouble." Nick moaned in response. "It's orders." She added simply, walking off to get food for herself.

"Aww, fuck orders." Nick grumbled.

"Hey, look who it is." Vibian announced. Nick heard someone sit down in the chair next to him. He slowly lifted his head.

"Vox? I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"What happened to you?" Vox asked, referring to Nick's swollen face.

"What the hell do you think happened? Dumbass." Vox didn't ask again. That was enough of an answer.

"Someone informed me that you were seen...in an embrace with Aula yesterday." Vox started to explain. Nick shot a dirty look over to Vibian.

"Yeah. And?" Nick asked, turning back to Vox.

"I don't want you to put your hands on her again." Nick was surprised at Vox's dark tone of voice. "I spoke with the captain. You're going to be spending the rest of your time here with me."

"Damn it..." Nick groaned again, rubbing his face. "How long have I been here?"

"About twenty hours." Aula answered, taking her own seat.

"Fuck me..." He sighed. It was going to be a long two weeks.


End file.
